Lead theft in CO

[LeadThrower]

Readers,

I've returned after a long break from Cast Boolits to offer up my lead smelter (http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=158108) free to a good home, as a result of a recent lead theft from my garage in Lakewood, CO.

About 2200 lbs of lead was stolen between June 7 and 16, most of it in the form of radiation shielding bricks. See http://www.amray.eu/C3-Radiation-Shielding/C41-Wall-Shielding/P66-Lead-Brick-Shielding.html for an example of what the "tongue and groove" brick looks like.

If anyone sees or has seen bricks like these on the market, coming out of the Denver area, I and the Lakewood police would love to hear about. Let's give the subhumans who did this to me some their desserts.

Thanks for any leads on the theft, and do look at the smelter -- I want to get rid of it quickly since it's headed to the scrap yard on Monday or Tuesday.

LeadThrower

[H.Callahan]

Wow. Really sorry to hear that. Are you sure you don't want to take some time before you make any long term decisions? I know how you feel. I lost about 10 guns a couple of decades ago and I really felt crazy for a while. I don't live in Aurora any more our I'd try to help you out.

[troy_mclure]

Check eBay and Craigslist.

[runfiverun]

wow, i lost about 1400 lbs of raw ww's to theft some time back.
i know how you feel.
let things set for a bit.

[arkypete]

I'm amazed at the criminal's mind set.
They will expend $200.00 worth of work to steal $20.00 worth of booty.

Jim

[LeadThrower]

Thanks for the kind words! Aside from the theft, I'm not in a position any longer where I can do the smelting, even if I had the lead. I've moved a bit more "into the city", so the neighbors would likely not appreciate the smoke and stink. Plus, I've now got two soon-to-be stepchildren in the house and I don't want to risk their exposure. I'm still casting, just not cranking through piles of range scrap like I used to. :-)

[fredj338]

Bummer. What's wrong w/ people? I hear that evacuies from the fire are having their stuff stolen from there cars @ the hotels they are staying in! I know times are tough but geeze!

[LeadThrower]

A few weeks ago I saw a couple clowns getting talked to by the police as they were stealing from a pile of iron (rebar, etc.) on a construction site in broad daylight, in the median of the highway. Talk about stupid! Hopefully they were arrested.

[DGV]

call area scrapyards and give them a heads up

[williamwaco]

I always thought thieves were too lazy for that?

Times must be worse than I thought.


.

[76 WARLOCK]

I live in Lakewood if you are carefull with your smelting your neighbors will never know. My neighbor and I both smelt some and never had any one find out about it.
There aren't too many scrap yards around you should be able to find your missing lead.

[DarthTater]

I don't want to derail this thread too badly, but I'll add my two cents' worth about suburban lead smelting. I do mine in the garage with a hood and fan system to pull the nasties outside through a filter.

I've had a couple of neighbors pop their heads in the garage. They both though that it was pretty nifty.

But I do understand your concern about the kids. Obviously that's a whole different ball of wax.

And I hope that you're able to track down the thieves. It's a sorry situation, that's for sure. Best of luck to you.

[jimb16]

The other day, someone broke into my son's house and stole the water heater! At least they turned off the water and the gas!

[LeadThrower]

Stole a water heater? That's insane!

I made a drop of scrap iron and my last bucket of bullet jackets (from the lead smelting) at a local recycler and told them about my lead. The manager commented that he had received the police report and told "his guys" to keep an eye out. He also said he'd never met a victim before :-) We looked in his lead bins and there wasn't anything of mine there.

Darth: I like the idea of the hood, etc., but my new house (my fiance's) doesn't have the space, and, as you commented on, the kids are the main issue. I'll be happy to pay the sellers on the forum for clean casting alloy until I can return to my obsession... er, hobby.

[41 mag fan]

The other day, someone broke into my son's house and stole the water heater! At least they turned off the water and the gas!



Why would someone risk getting caught and busted over a water heater??

The thieves must of been desperate.....What'd they do with the water that was in the tank?

My jaw would of hit the ground and caused an earthquake, if that'd of happened to me.

[fatelk]

A friend of mine had a bunch of metal stolen several years ago: buckets of old brass fittings, irrigation pipe, etc. The deputy who took the report knew who did it and where they likely sold the stuff. He was as frustrated as my friend because he had arrested them before and they got out with a slap on the hand.

My friend went down to the scarp yard himself and when they weren't looking just walked back in and looked in the bins. Sure enough he recognized his stuff, but he had no way to prove it. He came back with the cop and were able to get the name of the seller, sure enough just who the cop said it was.

What can you do? They get away with it because it's just a property crime. Even if they are caught they get a slap on the hand and go right back to it. It just stinks because you feel violated. What makes someone think they can just take your property? I would rather give away $100 than have $10 stolen from me. I just don't understand thieves.

I think I told the above story here before, but for those that didn't see it, it had a bizarre ending. Here's the Rest of The Story, just a couple weeks after his stuff was stolen, same two guys: http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-169151566.html

That's a BAD way to go.

[mold maker]

Druggies will do ANYTHING for a fix. Ever wonder why the ATMs only dispense $20. bills?
Then there are also folks out there, with hungry kids, and no other way to feed them.
Times really are bad, but, "The middle class is doing fine". NOT

[Bullfrog]

I was wondering what those things were. I worked at the VA and some of the departments were using them as door stops. The safety guy told us to round them up and get rid of them and I asked if I could take them. I think I got like 4 of them and wish I had found more.

Out here the theft is in animals and last year someone pulled up a trailer and stole 50 head of goat that were pregnant to boot. It is getting worse in that during the day there are times when people can be seen driving around "scoping" out places.

There ain't nothing worse than a thief and I sure hope they catch the idiots that ripped you off. I have been there and as others have said, you feel violated.

[41 mag fan]

A friend of mine had a bunch of metal stolen several years ago: buckets of old brass fittings, irrigation pipe, etc. The deputy who took the report knew who did it and where they likely sold the stuff. He was as frustrated as my friend because he had arrested them before and they got out with a slap on the hand.

My friend went down to the scarp yard himself and when they weren't looking just walked back in and looked in the bins. Sure enough he recognized his stuff, but he had no way to prove it. He came back with the cop and were able to get the name of the seller, sure enough just who the cop said it was.

What can you do? They get away with it because it's just a property crime. Even if they are caught they get a slap on the hand and go right back to it. It just stinks because you feel violated. What makes someone think they can just take your property? I would rather give away $100 than have $10 stolen from me. I just don't understand thieves.

I think I told the above story here before, but for those that didn't see it, it had a bizarre ending. Here's the Rest of The Story, just a couple weeks after his stuff was stolen, same two guys: http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-169151566.html

That's a BAD way to go.

Thieves died in crash...oh well good riddance to someone whose taking up oxygen that a good person should be breathing.
What needs to be done is some kneecap relocations, these thieves getting hand slaps is getting old, and only emboldens them to commit more crimes.


Druggies will do ANYTHING for a fix. Ever wonder why the ATMs only dispense $20. bills?
Then there are also folks out there, with hungry kids, and no other way to feed them.
Times really are bad, but, "The middle class is doing fine". NOT

Theres still jobs out there. You might be working at a McDonalds part time to put food on the table, but it's better than stealing something from someone.
A thief is a thief, no 2 ways about it. Food is cheap and the gov't readily gives out food stamps and welfare.
Middle class will never do fine until the middle class takes over the gov't.

[popper]

They get away with it because it's just a property crime. Even if they are caught they get a slap on the hand and go right back to it. So true. Brings up a question about protecting your self when crooks or vandals show up unarmed. I guess a golf club is good protection.

[1Shirt]

Golf clubs are to long and clumsy, a little league baseball bat is far more handy!
1Shirt!

[hammerhead357]

Sorry about your lead loss. I have never lost any large amounts of lead but I had 2 storage unit break ins a few years ago and lost about 9 thousand dollars with of tool and some reloading and casting stuff. A Dillon 1050 was among that along with an RCBS lead pot and a mec sizemaster in 20 gauge. I told the police who I thought might have done it but mothing was ever recovered.

[randyrat]

I live in Lakewood if you are carefull with your smelting your neighbors will never know. My neighbor and I both smelt some and never had any one find out about it.
There aren't too many scrap yards around you should be able to find your missing lead.
+1 and now they want/demand your ID or drivers license to crack down on theft, easy to track.

[trixter]

So true. Brings up a question about protecting your self when crooks or vandals show up unarmed. I guess a golf club is good protection.


My .45 is better than a golf club any day, that is why I have it.

[GabbyM]

Had a $25 wrench stolen from my bench at work this week. What disgust me about that is it has to be one of my coworkers who took it. What a fool!

[popper]

My .45 is better than a golf club any day, that is why I have it. My comment was serious, I agree with the bat also. You going to try to defend yourself in court, for shooting an unarmed thief? Or even holding them at gunpoint until the cops arrive? Better to take them behind the wood shed, beat the tar out of them and LET THEM GO. If they come back they probably will be armed and then you can use the .45 Bullfrog - what you gonna do when they (Co.) pass the legal marijuana law?

[EMC45]

My comment was serious, I agree with the bat also. You going to try to defend yourself in court, for shooting an unarmed thief? Or even holding them at gunpoint until the cops arrive? Better to take them behind the wood shed, beat the tar out of them and LET THEM GO. If they come back they probably will be armed and then you can use the .45

I can assure you, you will get in far less trouble holding a criminal tresspasser until the police arrive than you would if you beat the pi$$ out of them with a baseball bat then let them go.

[x101airborne]

Yeah, err on the side of caution.

But it sure would feel good to catch em and beat the hell out of em. Especially if you can bust the last two ribs on each side. They will think of that day for a long, long time. And if they do come back, they need that 45 used on em.

[finishman2000]

i posted awhile back about the guy I CAUGHT stealing lead from my shop. well just 2 weeks ago it finally came to conclusion. both he and the other guy he rat'd out pleaded out to a 2nd degree felony. for a couple hundred pounds of lead, worth .35 at the scrap yard they gave up many rights as free men. oh well, maybe they learned a lesson but i doubt it.

[Sabaharr]

I owned a duplex last year and in a rare case both sides were unrented for about 2 weeks. I went over to show it to a prospective renter and found both of my AC units had been stripped of the copper coils. $6000 of damage for about $80 of copper. And I had to cough it up immediately to be able to rent the places. Eventually insurance paid off, less $1000 deductible and less depreciation which came to about half. No profit that year and I soon sold out.